The Question: When I was young, my parish, and every other parish I knew about, was served by two priests. Now I understand that it is common that a parish has only one priest and some only have a deacon to look after the spoiritual needs of the Catholic faithful. How can this be? I have also read that the number of Catholics in America is growing. Why aren't there enough priests?
The Response: It is no secret that, in America at least, the number of Catholic priests has been declining for some time. There are a number of reasons for the decline, among them is the unwillingness of parents to encourage their children to become priests or nuns. This becomes evident when one considers the results of a Cara report sponsored by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops;
When asked to react to the statement: “You would encourage your child to pursue a career as priest or nun,” parents’ responses fell into the following four categories: Agree: 25 percent; Strongly agree: 8 percent; Disagree: 48 percent; and Strongly disagree: 19 percent. A staggering 67 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement. Only 33 percent agreed or strongly agreed…In light of this report, one in five Catholic parents would strongly resist a child pursuing a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. Evidence that two-thirds would withhold encouragement to a son or daughter considering a vocation underscores the challenge facing vocation directors and seminary recruiters. It also reveals an important factor in the vocation crisis that is regularly overlooked. Catholics, in stark contrast to parents of previous generations, are no longer likely to see priesthood and religious life as a healthy way of life for their children. – Donald B. Cozzens, The Changing Face of the Priesthood, © The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., pp. 134-35
One of the factors certainly contributing to the resistance of Catholic parents to support their children’s interest in pursuing a vocation to the priesthood or religious life must involve the growing perception that such vocations involve living as a homosexual.
Vicars of priests and seminary administrators who have been around awhile speak among themselves of the disproportionate number of gay men that populate our seminaries and presbyterates. They know that a proportionate number of gay priests and seminarians would fall between 5 and 10 percent. The extent of the estimated disproportion, naturally enough, will vary depending on general perceptions, personal experiences, and the frequency of first-hand encounters with self-acknowledged gay priests.
The general perceptions, in turn, are often shaped by various studies and surveys which attempt to measure the percentage of priests who are gay. An NBC report on celibacy and the clergy found that “anywhere from 23 percent to 58 percent” of the Catholic clergy have a homosexual orientation (Timothy Unsworth, The Last Priests in America, New York:Crossroad, 1991, p. 248) Other studies find that approximately half of American priests and seminarians are homosexually oriented. Sociologist James G. Wolf in his book Gay Priests concluded that 48.5 percent of priests and 55.1 percent of seminarians were gay (James G. Wolf, Gay Priests, San Francisco:Harper and Row, 1989, pp. 59-60). Moreover, the percentage of gay men among religious congregations of priests is believed to be even higher (Unsworth, Op. cit., p. 248). Beyond these estimates, of course, are priests who remain confused about their orientation and men who have so successfully denied their orientation, that in spite of predominantly same-sex erotic fantasies, they insist that they are heterosexual. – Cozzens, Op. cit., pp. 98-99
Some who may be eager to reject the information provided by Cozzens may be surprised to learn that he is an ordained priest who was Vicar of Priests for the Cleveland Diocese for more than six years. When his book was published, he held the positions of President-Rector and Professor of Pastoral Theology at Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Cleveland. He is editor of the best-selling The Spirituality of the Diocesan Priest (The Liturgical Press, 1997) and an associate editor of Emmanuel magazine.
Another reason for the decline in the number of Catholic priests, especially priests in pastoral posts, has to do with the number of parish priests who have been defrocked and/or had their faculties removed or restricted as a consequence of having acted as sexual predators of those over whom they exercised pastoral authority. The Boston Archdiocese has provided fertile hunting grounds for a number of priests who violate their vows of celibacy with boys and adolescents. As I write this article (2002), district attorneys in the five Massachusetts counties served by the Boston Archdiocese are working on cases involving 80 priests from that archdiocese.
According to a copyrighted report in the Boston Globe, they now have another name to work with:
Abington priest removed in new sex abuse case
Cleric is ninth cited by church this month
The Archdiocese of Boston yesterday removed an Abington pastor from parish duty due to ''credible'' allegations that he had sexually abused children, bringing to nine the number of priests ousted this month after evidence surfaced of sexual molestation of minors.
According to a statement issued by church officials, the Rev. Joseph L. Welsh of St. Nicholas parish was removed ''from any assignment following allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor in accordance with our policy regarding clergy misconduct.''
Welsh is the third pastor among the nine priests removed from duty this month. The Very Rev. Daniel M. Graham of St. Joseph parish in Quincy and the Rev. Paul J. Finegan of St. Bernadette parish in Randolph were removed from their posts Feb. 2 after church officials discovered that both men had been accused of sexually molesting children in the past.--Sacha Pfeiffer, Abington priest removed in new sex abuse case, The Boston Globe, (C) The New York Times Company 2/21/2002
Interestingly, the Catholic Church considers the failure to obey so many of its precepts and teachings to be mortal sins that disqualify lay Catholics from receiving the sacraments or, if unconfessed before dying, deny access to the Beatific Vision. On the other hand, when her priests violate the commandments of God, they are not disqualified from receiving or celebrating those same sacraments. It is clear that, within Catholicism, there is one law for priests and another for the laity.
